Maui Fire Victims’ Families Offered Up to $1.5 million in Compensation if They Don’t Sue State Agencies

Maui Fire Victims’ Families Offered Up to $1.5 million in Compensation if They Don’t Sue State Agencies

Over 6 months ago, a devastating wildfire swept through the Maui island town of Lahaina in Hawaii and incinerated much of the surrounding region.

Legal Insurrection readers may recall that a state water official delayed the release of water that landowners wanted to help protect their property from fires because water is to be revered and not used. Additionally, Hawaiian green energy mandates may have led Hawaiian Electric to divert fiscal resources away from fire-prevention practices.

There was also a delayed evacuation order.

A detailed timeline of events describes a series of calls to emergency dispatchers, reporting a fast-spreading fire at 2:55 p.m. Officers soon began evacuating neighboring areas, the report said.

But it does not explore the county’s delay before issuing a broader evacuation alert. The county made a decision not to use its all-hazards siren system and waited until 4:16 p.m. to send a cellphone evacuation alert. That alert was targeted at residential neighborhoods above the Honoapiʻilani Highway.

Fire had already consumed much of the area targeted for evacuation. At the exact time the evacuation alerts were going out, the new timeline shows, officers were reporting that the fire had spread all the way down to the highway and was jumping the road — toward waterfront areas that never received an evacuation alert.

Now, the relatives of fire victims could receive over $1 million in compensation…as long as they choose not to sue state agencies and companies involved.

The families of those who died in the Maui fire last year could receive up to $1.5 million in compensation if they choose to not sue state agencies and companies involved.

Hawaii Gov. Josh Green (D) made the announcement at a press conference marking the six-month mark since a wildfire swept the tourist town of Lahaina, killing 100 people and displacing many more.

The One ‘Ohana Initiative is a $175 million fund with contributions from the state of Hawaii, Maui County, Hawaiian Electric Company, Kamehameha Schools, Charter Communications, Hawaiian Telcom and the West Maui Land Co.

“The 100 individuals that were lost all had families, and we have put together $175 million, if they choose, in a voluntary way, to accept a settlement of $1.5 million that would go to each family,” Green said.

The Maui police recently issued an after-action report with 32 recommendations on better responding to a large wildfire.

Many of the report´s recommendations call for better equipment and updates to technology, from getting officers earpieces they can use when high winds make it hard to hear their radios to equipping patrol cars with breaching kits to remove downed trees or utility poles from roadways.

Others focus on improving communications between emergency personnel and officers themselves, such as stationing a high-ranking officer – a lieutenant or higher – in the communications center to help relay information to police commanders. The report also suggested giving officers in the field more briefings during recovery efforts.

The economy around Lahaina is still struggling.

Local advisors to Maui’s mayor estimate about a third of that commerce is back in West Maui at the six-month mark, though the challenges are still profound.

“The stress right now in the community is we just can’t go back to the way things were,” says Sne Patel, president of the LahainaTown Action Committee. He also serves on Maui’s Recovery Commission.

“People not only lost their businesses that day, but also many of them lost their homes,” he says. “Their employees lost their homes as well.”

Patel says commercial rents are going up because of the shortage of space, and some business owners can’t afford to stay in West Maui. Many are relocating elsewhere on the island. With the trauma of the wildfires so fresh, and a lack of long-term housing in Lahaina, the workforce is unstable, he says.

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